How To Stay Motivated At Work

CHEERS to the weekend!

So, it’s the beginning or the middle of the work week and while at work, all we can think and talk about is the weekend! We naturally say, “I can’t wait for the weekend!” Or we’re complaining about slow days because we want the day to end quickly.

But those are just mindless, harmless comments, right?…

We’re just ready to be away from the desk, the office, the computer, the clinic, customers, whatever the reason, we just know we’d rather be enjoying our personal time.

When I think this way, eagerly waiting to live for the weekend, I have to say to myself.. “You know, you’re only wishing your life away…”

That makes me stop and think. I have to reevaluate and just be thankful for where I am in that moment. Moreover, considering the harmless comments we make and how it relates to our work life, it makes me want to reach out to the women who probably do not feel inspired by their jobs or work they do.

“Heigh-ho, heigh ho, it’s home from work we go!”

I can’t think about my past jobs – and they were exactly just that for me, jobs- without thinking about the place I was in life when I had them.

For my main job after college, I worked at a pediatric clinic. At the time, I was striving to become a pediatrician. I quickly changed my mind of this career path not too long after. The passion just wasn’t there. Next, I worked for a hospital. During that time I was taking classes and doing other things to get into physical therapy school. Because I had other goals at the time I worked for the hospital, I did not allow myself to be immersed in the work I did there. I was just waiting for the hours to just go on by and looked forward to clocking out and getting to what really mattered to me at the time.

Have you been there? Maybe you’re there right now? We could be working somewhere we don’t plan on being in the long term. If we’re there for a while, we can begin to feel unmotivated about the work we’re doing. If what we’re doing is not something that we’re truly interested in, sometimes, we tend to just go through the motions.

How can we change that?

How can we enjoy work and not just impatiently watch the clock?

How can we stay motivated in our work regardless of our true interests?

8 Ways to Stay Motivated at Work

Know your worth. You are extraordinarily awesome! Point blank. No matter how simple, mundane, effortless, stressful, or even arduous your work is, know that you are amazing at what you do and that no one can do the work as well as YOU can! Everyday, you should walk into your workplace ready to KILL IT because you are great and you have no other choice but to only do great things.

Do what others won’t. You’re great! I’ve already told you that. But I’m pretty positive you’re also a go-getter! So, why stick to the basics of what your job entails. What can you do to take initiative and do something that your other co-workers won’t? For example, you hear that there’s going to be a new project coming up for the office. Maybe you’re already working on something else. But how awesome would it be if you go to your boss and ask about the future project and offer your assistance with it? How great would that look for you? Maybe there’s a weekly deadline for tasks that you could knock out ahead of time and just keep being ahead of the game. Be the same go-getter you are in all other parts of your life even at work!

Level up your attire or appearance. Dress the way you want to feel or how you imagine your professional self in the future. If the office dress code allows jeans and a blouse, wear business casual instead! If the dress code is business casual, wear something closer to business professional! “I can’t wear something drastically different than everyone else? I’d stand out?..” “No one else would be wearing that..” That’s okay. You’re not like everyone else so you should stand out regardless. If you have to wear scrubs to work, maybe spend a little more money on a few really nice scrubs to feel great in. Put a little more makeup on than usual. Fix your hair in different styles. Get some awesome new shoes! Altogether, you should do what’s best for you and if dressing for higher success makes you feel more confident about yourself and will reflect in your work, then I say go for it! Stay within your dress code guidelines of course, but I’m sure there’s no rule for dressing better than what’s listed in the dress code.

Remember that experience is experience. Even if you don’t plan on being at your workplace for very long, be sure to get the most out of what you’re doing. All future employers will want to know about your work history. So, while you’re working, get all you can from it. It doesn’t matter how simple your work might seem. I’m sure you still got experience working with a team or using certain machinery or software. Maybe you had to work with customers and gained superior customer service and communication skills. Even if you are a secretary, you’ve probably handled calls with important people and have dealt with important documents or emails. Don’t downplay the job you have. The work you do is important or the position wouldn’t exist. Make your experience work for you and YOU WORK for that experience!

Make connections and friendships. Work can be so much better if you form friendly and/or professional connections within the office. Maybe you don’t look forward to going to work for the work itself, but the people, now that can be a different story. Get to know your co-workers. Even if you don’t become actual friends, at least you still can be a part of your work community. And we need that. Being a part of a community itself is important. So, if you have that at work too, it can remove the mundane or stressful moments. If you can form relationships with the top dogs in the office, then maybe a promotion will be in your future or you’ll have impeccable references whenever you decide to work elsewhere.

Create a different goal/purpose for being there. Maybe you originally got your job because you just needed the money. You have bills, a family, or you have a lifestyle you desire. Maybe you’re like me and was happy to have the job because the experience was going to lead you towards a certain destination but your outlook and future goals changed. Whatever the reason, you had a goal. But maybe that first goal is no longer valid or seems good enough. You’re drained and tired of doing the same old thing for a reason that now seems irrelevant. Well, change your goal. Get a new purpose. If you do that then you’ll change your perspective and have a whole new reason to do the work. If you.. (I don’t know..) became a CNA to gain experience while trying to apply to nursing school but no longer wish to take that route. Maybe you decide to become a counselor instead. Well, maybe the part of work that will become more valid for you is listening to the patients’ problems and talking to them about it. You could then mentally focus more on that aspect of the job and how that’s important to you.

Be active outside of work. Do something in life that’s not work related. Spend some of your time doing something that brings you joy. Start volunteering at your church or a local nonprofit or nursing home. Start a book club or bible study. Join a local organization for women or keep up with and attend local events or seminars. Giving yourself more meaning and purpose will allow you to withstand or even diminish unmotivated feelings you may have about work because it’ll change how you feel about yourself. Generously giving your time to others or working on something that you’re passionate about will bring you certain happiness, increasing your confidence and gratitude for things in life. I guarantee it!

Know your true boss. I know that for myself some things that get me about my work experiences are working for someone else or doing work that doesn’t challenge me or doesn’t allow me to unleash my full potential. I’m sure we all understand that the position we have at work plays a part of something greater and each part is important so forth and so on.. But is that really enough to keep us motivated?… Maybe… Maybe not… So, for now, I like to remind myself that not only do I work for experience, networking, financial stability, and to keep sane and away from idleness, but most importantly, because I work for the one who makes everything worthwhile. I work for the Lord! We work for the Lord our God! The work we put in here on this earth is for Him. We were created in His likeness so we work because He works. Also, I don’t know about you but when my paycheck comes, I get excited about tithing! True story! So yeah, God is our true boss and we should happily answer to Him.

“Whistle while we work!”

Hopefully these strategies can help you gain a new perspective about the work you do and helps motivate you to always work hard no matter what your circumstances are. Whichever methods works for you, stick with it! And if the work you’re doing is only for a season, make the most out of it and be the best version of yourself while you’re there. Show your employers and coworkers how phenomenal you are! And more importantly, show God how grateful you are for His blessings!

So, let’s talk?!..

Have you had a job where you just could NOT WAIT to clock out and do anything else? Briefly, tell us about it.

What methods from this post do you think you will use to help you stay motivated at work in the future?

Leave a comment below! I’d love to hear from you!

The Biblical Scoop!

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” – Colossians 3:23-24

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31

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About Me

Hi! I’m Alyssa Bazile! I love hearing about people’s goals and aspirations, how they navigate life, and stories of their personal growth. What can I say? I’m compassionate about people! Most importantly, I care about how people show up in the world. I believe our character not only defines who we are but should also be a true representation of our inner being. I believe that if we would just free our true, inner character one spoonful at a time, we can confidently say, “This is me!”